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Dumbiedykes |
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1. Refurbishment of Dumbiedykes Flats near Holyrood |
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Dumbiedykes Dumbiedykes lies beside Holyrood Park, to the south of the new Scottish Parliament at Holyrood. Old housing was demolished around 1960. The Edinburgh City Architects Department, designed 650 new homes for the site. These were built between 1959 and 1964, but by 2003, they were in a poor state of repair.. |
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Dumbiedykes It was, first, proposed that some of the new low-rise housing should be demolished, but residents objected. So, instead, work began on improving all the housing in the area, in 2003. Insulation of windows and doors in both the low-rise and high rise housing is now complete. New lifts and CCTV cameras have been installed. The next stage, which has just begun and is to last for 20 months, is to spend £3.4m on two of the high-rise blocks, Lochview Court and Holyrood Court. These blocks will take on a new look as they are coated with exterior green and white insulation tiles. Work will also be carried out on roofs, stairwells and walkways. Evening News January 20, 2007, p.9 |
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2. Proposed new Chemist Shop for Dumbiedykes |
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Proposed Needle Exchange Yaseen Yousaf of The Elixir Pharmacy Group was featured in a recent article in the Edinburgh Evening News [October 19, 2009, P.8] The article reported that he planned to open a chemist shop at Dumbiedykes that would include a needle exchange for drug users. Yaseen claims that he would run the needle exchange responsibly and that it should result in fewer syringes being left in play parks and doorways. Others have expressed concern that providing a needle exchange at Dumbiedykes could result in more drug users coming into the area. Yaseen recently contacted me, telling me about his plans. He wrote: "This story has evoked a lot of thoughts and opinions on the subject. As you know, Dumbiedykes is a stone's throw away from the Scottish Parliament and indeed the Royal Mile, but I doubt many tourists see the poverty that is still rife in this estate, despite some regeneration that has taken place over the years. It is staggering to think that this estate is so close to where our politicians debate. Also, there is a vast number of drug addicts and homeless people that congregate in the area. Dumbiedykes is still the forgotten part of the capital. I want to open a pharmacy to cater for these people. We believe that it is difficult for residents to access pharmaceutical provisions. The walk up Braidwood Gate and the Pleasance is challenging, to say the least, and especially if one is elderly or infirm. To access the Royal Mile Pharmacy, residents must also walk up St Mary's Street, which is quite steep too. Also, there is no bus service operating in Dumbiedykes now. I am offering many more services, other than the needle exchange. I hope that MSPs, residents, drug addicts and the homeless can all access provisions from my pharmacy, without any discrimination. Historically, there has never been a pharmacy in Dumbiedykes. My unit is going to be opposite the Salvation Army, next to the watch repair shop in Holyrood Road." Yaseen Yousaf, Edinburgh: October 29, 2009 |
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Dumbiedykes: Streets A-G Streets H-R Streets S-Z More Pages |
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